The present invention relates to tea and, in particular, to a prepackaged serving of tea that is convenient to use.
Tied tea is a known form of tea in which generally whole leaves of tea are held (tied) together by a string and rolled to form a compact parcel of tea in any one of several different solid shapes, all of which are referred to here as a “tea ball” with the understanding that “tea balls” of the present invention are not necessarily spherical, but can be of any solid shape.
When put into a vessel of water (typically hot), these solid tea balls slowly sink to the bottom of the vessel as water is absorbed by the tea leaves. As the tea ball becomes infused with water, it gradually expands to several times its dry size and opens into a flower-like structure, releasing the tea flavor of the leaves.
The advantage of tied tea balls is that they are convenient to carry, are a pre-measured amount of tea and a delight to watch as they open into “flowers” of unexpected shapes and colors. Also, since they are not contained within a bag or similar container, the tea leaves are able to fully expand and expose most, if not all, of their surface area to the water.
While teas of various varieties have been used to make tied tea balls, and such tied tea balls open into “flowers” of many shapes, and some even include a brightly colored flower that is released from the ball when the ball fully opens, it has always been necessary to use some utensil to remove the tea ball from the water to either stop the tea from further brewing or to use the tea ball to brew a different cup or pot of water.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a more convenient tea ball.